The Rumor Mill Begins

Time: 1121, March 11th, 2154

Location: Lucy's Lament Colonial Mess Hall

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The cafeteria was a room in the southern end of what was primarily known as the Operations Management Center. It was small, No more than sixty by fifty feet, but the food was pretty good even if it was grown in a lab. Trays and utensils rattled as people filed in and out of the eatery that morning.

News of Luther's **** spread through the community like wildfire, setting off a series of emotions from shock to anger at the company and management to sadness.

Then, of course, was the rumor that something had happened to Jennifer.

The first ten or so people to file into and out of the mess hall had known something was up and had heard that Luther had died under mysterious circumstances that AUNTIE and management were **** to divulge, but hadn't started putting the pieces of the puzzle together until someone mentioned Jennifer's absence when Alicia came to eat by herself. They were best friends, inseparable. It was unusual to see them apart. Then they realized that the medical team hadn't started rotating through lunch yet, which was unusual considering there were seven of them for a whole thirty two (now thirty one...) potential patients. It usually took something pretty drastic to tie them all up at once.

Then Isabel Devoure finally made it to lunch...

Whispers punctuated the corners of the room as she sat down while other colonists debated who was going to go over to her and ask what happened. She worked in medical, after all. She would know.

Donna Torres was the one who finally caved in. Slightly nosy, a little dramatic, Donna took minimum pressing from her peers to cross the room.

"What happened out there?" She asked the nurse. Isabel was already cutting into her lab grown meat. Her eyes were wide.

"She brought back an alien." Isabel said. Her voice was practically a whisper. Donna's brow furrowed. She worked in communication center and hadn't heard any such thing transmitted to or from Lucy's Lament to company HQ.

"... Brought back an alien... " Donna said. She squinted. "What do you mean, brought back an alien."

"It was on her, then it impregnated her." Isabel said.

"What...?"

"It impregnated her." Isabel said. The statement was flat and devoid of emotion. Donna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Isabel continued. "She gave birth to six creatures in the DAS room right in front of Dr. Wyandotte and they escaped."

"...They escaped..." Said Donna.

Isabel went back to eating, clearing in a state of semi-shock, semi-denial of the whole thing. Donna took a drink from her recycled water and stood up with her tray and returned to her click of friends from he comm center.

Isabel's statement turned into a rumor and rapidly circulated the colony after that, followed by speculation of where Dr. Philips was and what he was doing to get a grip on the situation. And where was Andy? As best as anyone could figure out, from asking Andy directly, the Security team had not been properly notified of the incident, nor where they aware of any seek and destroy efforts sanctioned by either Dr. Phillips or corporate headquarters.

He wrote the rumor off as just that; Isabel in a state of distress after seeing the parasite and having dealt with the loss of Luther.

Regardless, the story Isabel conveyed to Donna ran through the colony like wildfire, catching the attention of every colonist. Especially the women. Horror and repulsion was the theme of the day, even among the naysayers. Dr. Wyandotte announced her takeover of Lucy's Lament after that, citing a corporate change in management due to the failures of the previous evening's exploration mission.

The rest of the day was uneventful, until Amber Holloway disappeared shortly before midnight...